Dr. Kogan:
There are many different things that can prompt sleeplessness. There are different stages of sleep that can be the problem. Some women have difficulty falling asleep. Some women have problems staying asleep. By examining the person’s lifestyle, we can often identify very, very simple reasons why a woman cannot fall asleep.

Excessive intake of caffeine and alcohol can be the cause why our lady patients are agitated and unable to relax in bed. Watching horror movies and spending time on the Internet before they go to sleep can be another simple reason why their nervous system is all wound up and has difficulty unwinding.

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Another common reason is taking over-the-counter cold medications, which almost inevitably have Epinephrine, Sudafed, and by taking those medications women expose their sympathetic system to over-activation, which makes it almost impossible to fall asleep without additional aids like Benadryl and other chemicals.

I always recommend my female patients to avoid eating and drinking two and a half to three hours before they go to sleep. Their kidneys have to process the fluid they ingest, their stomach and intestines have to work on the food they ingest, so that prevents us from really resting our organs when we need that rest.

About Dr. Svetlana Kogan, M.D.:
Dr. Svetlana Kogan, M.D., is the Founder of Doctors at Trump Place (DTP). She is board certified in internal medicine and graduated from Cornell University. She is also a member of the American Medical Association, the American Anti-Aging Academy, and a clinical researcher and patient advocate. Dr. Kogan is affiliated with Lenox Hill Hospital.